<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<recipeml version="0.5">
  <recipe>
    <head>
      <title>1995 5th Place Joan's Little Joys</title>
      <categories>
        <cat>Cookies</cat>
        <cat>Holiday</cat></categories>
      <yield>36</yield></head>
    <ingredients>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Unsalted butter, softened</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1 3/4</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Confectioners' sugar</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1 1/2</qty>
          <unit>teaspoons</unit></amt>
        <item>Pure vanilla extract</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1 1/2</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>All-purpose flour, sifted before measuring</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/2</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Finely ground hazelnuts or macadamia nuts</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/4</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Seedless raspberry preserves (approx)</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty/>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Food coloring as desired, for decorating</item></ing></ingredients>
    <directions>
      <step>   1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet(s) or line with
  parchment paper.
  
   2. Beat butter and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in large bowl of
  electric mixer on high speed until well combined. Mix in vanilla. Stop the
  mixer and add the flour and ground nuts. Mix on low speed just until
  combined.
  
   3. Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll into rounds. Place on baking
  sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat glass in confectioners' sugar, reserving
  1/4  cup for this purpose. Press each ball, flattening to a 1-inch round.
  
    4. Bake just until they begin to color, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a
  wire rack to cool.
  
   5. Spread bottoms of half the cookies with preserves, using about 1/4
  teaspoon for each cookie. Sandwich together with another cookie.
  
    6. For icing, mix remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar with just enough
  water to make it spreading consistency. Tint icing with food color, if
  desired.
  
   7. Decorate top of cookies with icing, using a pastry bag, if desired.
  
  Fifth-place winner in the 1995 Chicago Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest: by
  Isabelle Clarke Garibaldi of Burr Ridge
  Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #338
  
  From: Linda Place &lt;placel@worldnet.att.net&gt;
  
  Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 12:22:52 +0000
 
</step></directions></recipe></recipeml>
